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‘Narrative and Subversion: Exemplary Rome and Imperial Misrule in Ammianus Marcellinus’

Mark Humphries Orcid Logo

Some organic readings in narrative, ancient and modern : gathered and originally presented as a book for John, Volume: Ancient Narrative Supplements 27, Pages: 233 - 254

Swansea University Author: Mark Humphries Orcid Logo

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Abstract

This chapter examines how, by means of a carefully constructed narrative, the fourth-century Latin historian Ammianus Marcellinus presents not so much a description of the Roman empire in his own day as a diagnosis of its ills and recommendations of how they might be cured. The analysis focuses on t...

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Published in: Some organic readings in narrative, ancient and modern : gathered and originally presented as a book for John
ISBN: 9789492444943
ISSN: 1574-5066 1568-3532
Published: Groningen Barkhuis & Groningen University Library 2019 2019
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URI: https://cronfa.swan.ac.uk/Record/cronfa525
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spelling 2021-01-14T09:51:32.6602205 v2 525 2011-10-01 ‘Narrative and Subversion: Exemplary Rome and Imperial Misrule in Ammianus Marcellinus’ f7849bdbf87f1d20664dfea957f5b817 0000-0003-0674-6287 Mark Humphries Mark Humphries true false 2011-10-01 ACLA This chapter examines how, by means of a carefully constructed narrative, the fourth-century Latin historian Ammianus Marcellinus presents not so much a description of the Roman empire in his own day as a diagnosis of its ills and recommendations of how they might be cured. The analysis focuses on the historian’s celebrated description of the emperor Constantius II’s adventus to Rome in 357. It is argued here that the account is remarkably subversive, both in terms of the description it offers, and how it is embedded in Ammianus’ wider narrative. Constantius had come to Rome to celebrate a victory in civil war, but Ammianus regarded such festivities as wholly inappropriate at a time when the empire was facing existential threats from across its frontiers, and his description underscores his distaste. At the same time, Constantius’ unmilitary lassitude is explicitly contrasted, by means of narrative juxtaposition, with an altogether more worthy demonstration of imperial activity focused on the defence of Roman territory by Ammianus’ hero, the Caesar Julian. Book chapter Some organic readings in narrative, ancient and modern : gathered and originally presented as a book for John Ancient Narrative Supplements 27 233 254 Barkhuis & Groningen University Library 2019 Groningen 9789492444943 1574-5066 1568-3532 31 10 2019 2019-10-31 https://www.barkhuis.nl/product_info.php?products_id=248 Edited by Ian Repath, Fritz-Gregor Herrmann COLLEGE NANME Classics COLLEGE CODE ACLA Swansea University 2021-01-14T09:51:32.6602205 2011-10-01T00:00:00.0000000 Faculty of Humanities and Social Sciences School of Culture and Communication - Classics, Ancient History, Egyptology Mark Humphries 0000-0003-0674-6287 1
title ‘Narrative and Subversion: Exemplary Rome and Imperial Misrule in Ammianus Marcellinus’
spellingShingle ‘Narrative and Subversion: Exemplary Rome and Imperial Misrule in Ammianus Marcellinus’
Mark Humphries
title_short ‘Narrative and Subversion: Exemplary Rome and Imperial Misrule in Ammianus Marcellinus’
title_full ‘Narrative and Subversion: Exemplary Rome and Imperial Misrule in Ammianus Marcellinus’
title_fullStr ‘Narrative and Subversion: Exemplary Rome and Imperial Misrule in Ammianus Marcellinus’
title_full_unstemmed ‘Narrative and Subversion: Exemplary Rome and Imperial Misrule in Ammianus Marcellinus’
title_sort ‘Narrative and Subversion: Exemplary Rome and Imperial Misrule in Ammianus Marcellinus’
author_id_str_mv f7849bdbf87f1d20664dfea957f5b817
author_id_fullname_str_mv f7849bdbf87f1d20664dfea957f5b817_***_Mark Humphries
author Mark Humphries
author2 Mark Humphries
format Book chapter
container_title Some organic readings in narrative, ancient and modern : gathered and originally presented as a book for John
container_volume Ancient Narrative Supplements 27
container_start_page 233
publishDate 2019
institution Swansea University
isbn 9789492444943
issn 1574-5066
1568-3532
publisher Barkhuis & Groningen University Library 2019
college_str Faculty of Humanities and Social Sciences
hierarchytype
hierarchy_top_id facultyofhumanitiesandsocialsciences
hierarchy_top_title Faculty of Humanities and Social Sciences
hierarchy_parent_id facultyofhumanitiesandsocialsciences
hierarchy_parent_title Faculty of Humanities and Social Sciences
department_str School of Culture and Communication - Classics, Ancient History, Egyptology{{{_:::_}}}Faculty of Humanities and Social Sciences{{{_:::_}}}School of Culture and Communication - Classics, Ancient History, Egyptology
url https://www.barkhuis.nl/product_info.php?products_id=248
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description This chapter examines how, by means of a carefully constructed narrative, the fourth-century Latin historian Ammianus Marcellinus presents not so much a description of the Roman empire in his own day as a diagnosis of its ills and recommendations of how they might be cured. The analysis focuses on the historian’s celebrated description of the emperor Constantius II’s adventus to Rome in 357. It is argued here that the account is remarkably subversive, both in terms of the description it offers, and how it is embedded in Ammianus’ wider narrative. Constantius had come to Rome to celebrate a victory in civil war, but Ammianus regarded such festivities as wholly inappropriate at a time when the empire was facing existential threats from across its frontiers, and his description underscores his distaste. At the same time, Constantius’ unmilitary lassitude is explicitly contrasted, by means of narrative juxtaposition, with an altogether more worthy demonstration of imperial activity focused on the defence of Roman territory by Ammianus’ hero, the Caesar Julian.
published_date 2019-10-31T03:03:13Z
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score 11.012678

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